FAQs – NIST SHIP Program

A: Summer High School Internship Program

A: The SHIP program is for students, US citizen Only,  in their Junior and Senior year of high school. You can still participate in the program if you have just graduated High School and have NOT started college yet.

A: No, only Juniors and seniors in High School or just graduated high school and have NOT started college.

The SHIP program is 8 weeks long and held during the summer months of June to August.

A: The SHIP program is only held in the summer months of June to August.

A: The NIST SHIP Application is available on the www.usajobs.gov

A: The SHIP is conducted at the Boulder, Co and Gaithersburg, MD NIST Campuses.

A: No, the SHIP program is an unpaid internship and students MUST live in close proximity to the NIST Boulder, CO or NIST Gaithersburg, MD. If Students is out-of-state, they MUST have own housing and transportation setup in order to participate at either locations- Boulder, CO or the Gaithersburg, MD.

A: The SHIP application is available annually from December 1^st to the last week of January of the new year.

A: Please visit the SHIP program using the link below https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/high-school-students-ship or by sending you inquiries to ship [at] nist.gov (ship[at]nist[dot]gov)

A: Currently, the NIST SHIP program is an unpaid internship program. We are currently working on providing a stipend to the SHIP students’ participants and announcement will be made once approval have been obtained from upper management.

A: You must list two (2) recommenders, One (1) STEM Teacher and One (1) professional

A: Professional recommendations speak to your specific performance on the job and should be from current or former employers. Supervisory contacts as well as co-workers, coach or Boys or Girls Scout Club  can provide professional recommendations. Be certain that your contact list includes individuals that can speak directly about your experience.

A: Ask a trusted adult who is not your family member. This could be a teacher, a coach, a mentor, someone from your faith community, a boss, someone who you have volunteered with, etc. Pro Tip: Ask someone who has known you for a long time or who has seen you work hard at school, a job, or an extra-curricular activity.

A: recommendations are due two weeks from the date it is initiated.

A:  All changes to your SHIP application can be made until the last day of the closing of the application - January 31, 2025 11:50p ET.  Recommendation  changes can be made by students until closing of application on January 31, 2025 or by emailing SHIP Director with the name, email, recommendation type and institution of the person to remove and/or add at ship [at] nist.gov (ship[at]nist[dot]gov) three weeks prior to the closing of the SHIP application. For SHIP 2025, all recommendation changes must be received by January 19, 2025 to SHIP Director. Once the Application is Closed, no changes can be made to the application. 

For SHIP 2025, All applicants will receive status of their application between February 26 - 29

All SHIP recommendations request will come from noreply [at] monster.com (noreply[at]monster[dot]com)

The email will states exactly when the recommendations are due. Please have reference check their spam or junk email. If the recommendation is not received by the due date, students can change request to from a new person, professional and STEM, if request is received to ship [at] nist.gov (ship[at]nist[dot]gov) three weeks before closing of application but No Later Than January 19, 2025.

Acceptance letters/email will be sent between March 03 to April 18, 2025. Decline letters/emails will be sent between April 21 -  May 02, 2025.

No, NIST will NOT provide housing sand/or transportation to out-of-state or in- state students. All applicants and/or accepted students MUST live in close proximity to the Boulder, CO or Gaithersburg, MD campus.